Guidewires and optical fibers are used in a wide variety of medical procedures, including urology, neurology, otorhinolaryngology, ophthalmology, gastroenterology, cardiology, and gynecology. Generally, a user may control and deliver a guidewire or an optical fiber from packaged spiral loops, but the guidewires and optical fibers may be difficult to handle. For example, a hydrophilic guidewire may be hydrated and made of polyethylene such that the guidewire may be released from a packaged loop, but, as a result, the guidewire may be slippery and difficult to control. Optical fibers may be sensitive or brittle. Optical fibers are usually packaged such that the entire optical fiber must be removed from the packaging before use, increasing the risk of contamination and damage between the removal from packaging and the use with a patient. Once the optical fiber is removed from the patient, it is also difficult to safely store the optical fiber for reuse during the same procedure without contaminating the optical fiber. Moreover, guidewire and optical fiber dispensers often snag during dispensing or retracting, and may also be cumbersome and difficult to control, increasing the chances of user error, further complicating and prolonging the procedure, and exposing the patient to greater risk.
The devices and methods of the current disclosure may rectify some of the deficiencies described above, and/or address other aspects of the prior art.